Multipurpose Cleaning Device

ABSTRACT

A multipurpose cleaning device including a rigid body and which may include attachments is provided. The rigid body includes a handle, a flange and a head. Each attachment is slidably and adjustably mounted to the head. Each attachment is movable yet may be locked into place onto the head.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/518,683, filed May 9, 2011 andtitled “Multipurpose Cleaning Device,” the content of which isincorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Tiled surfaces are spaced apart when installed and these spaces aretypically filled with grout. The grout surface is usually recessed fromthe tile surface, making the grout surface difficult to clean when usingconventional floor cleaning tools that use broad sweeping motions suchas a mop or sponge. The recessed location of the grout tends to collectdirt, which requires frequent cleaning and the rough texture of thegrout requires increased pressure to clean. Moreover, grout in baths orshowers, or other high humidity environments, is susceptible to mold andmildew which are difficult to clean. Scrubbing brushes aid the cleaningof grout but are very tedious in function, as each grout line has to bescrubbed individually. The spacing between grout lines is a function oftile size, which can vary greatly. A brush with multiple heads at afixed width may only be useful for one specific application due to thisvariance in spacing between grout lines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cleaning device showing anembodiment with multiple brush assemblies.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the cleaning device.

FIG. 2B is a right side view of the cleaning device.

FIG. 2C is a rear view of the cleaning device.

FIG. 2D is a left side view of the cleaning device.

FIG. 2E is a top view of the cleaning device.

FIG. 2F is a front view of the cleaning device.

FIG. 2G is a bottom view of the cleaning device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a brush assembly.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment squeegeeattachment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment spongeattachment.

FIGS. 1-5 are drawn approximately to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A cleaning device including a rigid body that allows multiple adjustableattachments for cleaning applications is provided herein. The cleaningdevice may be a rigid body cleaning device that can accommodate avariety of attachments to clean a variety of surfaces including groutbetween tiled surfaces.

The cleaning device includes attachments mounted to a rigid assembly.The rigid assembly is of solid construction and includes three,structurally integrated parts: a handle, a flange and a head. The headforms a mounting track, which is in part also formed by the flange, forseveral brush head assemblies. The top of the head incorporates a raisedrib along its lengthwise axis to provide rigidity to the head and toassist in the transfer of energy from the handle to the head through theflange. The raised rib also defines a forward and rear track concavenotch. The raised rib creates a track along the head that allows thebrush head assemblies to be mounted at any desired spacing along thehead as well as allowing the attachment of other accessories to thehead.

A cleaning device with multiple brush heads allows several lines ofgrout to be cleaned simultaneously. Customizable spacing of brush headsallows for the cleaning of varying widths of grout lines. Attachmentssuch as a squeegee, sponge, or brush allow the device to be used formultiple purposes including removing cleanser film from grout and tilewhich may be left after cleaning adjacent grout lines.

It is understood that while a preferred embodiment of a cleaning deviceis illustrated and described below, it is not limited to the specificform or arrangement of parts and/or design elements herein described andshown.

Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the cleaning device 10includes a lengthwise handle 20, a flange 30, and a head 40. All threecomponents are contiguous and structurally integrated, creating a singlerigid structure. Therefore, the handle 20 is coupled to the flange 30and the flange 30 is coupled to the head 40. The flange 30 connects thehandle 20 with the head 40. The handle 20 is a hollow tube designed tobe comfortable for gripping and may have a threaded aperture, which mayallow connections to elongate the handle 20. The head 40 includes araised rib 41 and a support section 42 that allows attachments to slidealong the entire length of the head 40. The raised rib 41 may be commonto the head 40 and the flange 30. The support section 42 may be asupport tract. The raised rib 41 extends along the top of the head 40running the lengthwise axis of the head 40. The support section 42 formstwo tracks along the lengthwise axis of the head 40; the forward track421 and the rear track 422. As shown, both the forward track 421 and therear track 422 are convex. The raised rib 41 also forms two concavenotches with the top surface of the support section 42; the forwardtrack notch 423 and the rear track notch 424. The dimension of theforward track 421, which is the segment of the head 40 in front of theraised rib 41, may be equal or unequal to the dimension of the reartrack 422, which is the segment of the head 40 behind the raised rib 41.If the forward track 421 and rear track 422 are of unequal dimensions,the asymmetrical design may ensure that all attachments may be placedonto the head 40 in one direction, ensuring the correct orientation ofthe attachments onto the head 40. The forward track notch 423 and therear track notch 424 may dictate the orientation of attachments bycreating a shape that accommodates a corresponding shape on theattachment. If the orientation of attachments does not matter forcleaning purposes, the forward track 421 and rear track 422 may be ofequal dimensions and the forward track notch 423 and the rear tracknotch 424 may be of symmetrical shape.

The cleaning device 10 may be made from a variety of materials,including, but not limited to, plastic, aluminum, stainless steel,titanium, wood or graphite. Other materials may be used if desired. Thesize of the cleaning device 10 may vary and particularly the lengthwisedimension of the head 40 may be shorted or elongated for a variety ofapplications of the cleaning device.

Referring to FIG. 1, the embodiment of the cleaning device 10 shownincludes multiple identical brush assemblies 50 mounted on the head 40.With additional reference to FIG. 3, the brush assembly 50 will now bediscussed in detail. The brush assembly 50 is an attachment. It will beappreciated that the attachment may be removably coupled to the supportsection 42, shown in FIG. 2B. Specifically, in some embodiments two ormore attachments may be removably coupled to the support section. Thebrush assembly 50 includes a brush body 51, comprised of a forwardflange 511 and a rear flange 512. The brush body 51 is a single-piecebrush body in the depicted embodiment. The forward flange 511 may bemated with the forward track 421, shown in FIG. 2B. Likewise, the rearflange 512 may be mated with the rear track 422, shown in FIG. 2B. Thetwo flanges create a “C” shaped brush body 51. The “C” shape of thebrush body 51 creates a support track 515 to slide the brush assembly 50onto the head 40. The “C” shape of the brush body 51 may limit themovement of the brush assembly 50 in relationship to the head 40 when inuse by allowing the forward flange 511 and the rear flange 512 to hugthe around the support section 42. The dimensions of the forward flange511 of the brush assembly and the rear flange 512 of the brush assemblycorrespond to the dimensions of the forward track 421 of the head 40 andthe rear track 422 of the head, respectively, which may be equal or notequal. This correspondence may provide a tight fit between the brushassemblies 50 and the head 40 which may substantially reduce and in somecases eliminate movement of the brush assemblies 50 during operation andmay also ensure the brush assemblies 50 are oriented onto the head 40 inthe correct direction if desired. The forward flange end 513 and therear flange end 514 of the brush body 51 may be convex and maycorrespond conversely with the shape of the forward track notch 423 andthe rear track notch 424 of the support section 42. This correspondencemay provide a tight fit between the brush assemblies 50 and the supportsection 42 and may also provide a desired orientation of the brushassemblies 50 onto the head 40. The forward flange 511 of the brush body51 houses a threaded hole in which a thumbscrew 53 may be engaged. Thethumbscrew 53 may be configured to secure the brush assembly 50 or othersuitable attachment at a fixed location along the head 40, shown in FIG.2A, and at a fixed distance relative to other attachments. Thus, a usermay tighten the thumbscrew to fix the relative position of the brushassembly to the head or loosen the thumbscrew to enable adjustment ofthe relative position of the brush assembly. In this way, the thumbscrewmay be selectively adjustable by a user of the cleaning device.

The bottom of the brush body 51 contains several rows of bristles 52which may be oriented in a direction efficient for use. The bristles 52may be referred to as grout-cleaning bristles. However, the bristles maybe used to clean a variety of surfaces, if desired.

As depicted in FIG. 3, brush body support track 515 is designed toencompass support section 42 and slide along the entire length ofsupport section 42. Brush body 51 may be constructed of a rigid plastic,nevertheless, a plastic with a modulus of elasticity which allows aslightly under-dimensioned brush body support track 515 to be marginallyopened by the user of cleaning device 10 upon installation onto supportsection 42, thereby biasing brush body support track 515 with acompressive force on support section 42 which may secure the fit betweensupport section 42 and brush body support track 515 and which maysubstantially reduce play, and therefore wear and tear, between thesesurfaces. Such a sign may be desirable as thumbscrew 53, while fixingbrush assembly 50 to support section 42, provides force to substantiallyprevent the brush body 51 from pivoting in relationship to head 40during vigorous use of cleaning device 10.

The brush assemblies 50 are mounted to the head 40 of the cleaningdevice 10 via sliding onto the track of the head 40 such that theyremain parallel to one another and may be spaced at any desired intervalalong the entire lengthwise axis of the head 40. Thumbscrews 53 that areengaged at the top of each brush assembly 50 may be advanced to pressagainst the head 40 and lock the brush assembly 50 in any desiredlocation along the head 40. Although thumbscrews 53 are used in thisembodiment, other means of locking the brush assemblies 50 onto the head40 may be used such as quick release cams or levers, etc. An embodimentof the cleaning device 10, shown in FIG. 1, includes a group of sixbrush assemblies 50 mounted onto the head 40. However the cleaningdevice may include more, or fewer, brush assemblies 50 if desired. Thestructure and operation of each brush assembly 50 is identical.Therefore, where one brush assembly 50 is described, this descriptionapplies to each of the assemblies. However, in other embodiments thestructure of the brush assemblies may vary.

Referring to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment may use a squeegeeattachment 60 mounted to the head 40, shown in FIG. 2A, for the use ofremoving excess water from surfaces. The length of the attachment body61 is equal to the length of the head 40 of the cleaning device 10, inthe depicted embodiment. However, other attachment body lengths havebeen contemplated. The squeegee may be inserted into a squeegee track 65on the front of the squeegee attachment 60 allowing for easyreplacement. The attachment body 61 slides along the track of the head40 through a set of flanges 611/612 on either side of the top of theattachment body 61. The forward flange 62 is equipped with a threadedhold for a thumbscrew 64 to advance onto the head 40 and lock theattachment into place on the head 40 and consequently attaching to thecleaning device 10.

A contiguous support section 42 along the entire length of head 40permits a brush assembly 50 to be placed and secured anywhere alongsupport section 42, and a brush assembly 50 may be installed or removedfrom either end of head 40. Moreover, contiguous support section 42 alsopermits alternative cleaning device attachments to be mounted to head40, and in particular squeegee attachment 60 is depicted in FIG. 4 andsponge 70 in FIG. 5. In other embodiments, two or more squeegeeattachments or sponges may be removably coupled to the contiguoussupport section 42.

Other alternate embodiments may include a sponge 70 in FIG. 5, or acontinuous brush attachment mounted to the rigid body in a similarmanner as the embodiments described above. The sponge 70 may be referredto as a grout-cleaning sponge. However, the sponge may be used to cleana variety of surface, if desired. It is also possible to have anembodiment that permanently mounts brush assemblies or other apparatusto the support track.

The cleaning device may also include a long handle screwed into thethreaded handle of the rigid body, elongating the handle and extendedthe reach of the device.

While specific embodiments of the cleaning device have been described indetail, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that thereis modification and alterations that would be developed in light of theoverall teaching of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particulararrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and notlimiting as to the scope of the invention.

1. A cleaning device comprising: a handle; a flange coupled to thehandle; a head coupled to the flange, the head having a raised rib and acontiguous support section, the raised rib extending along a lengthwiseaxis of the head and the contiguous support section including a convexforward track and a convex rear track; and two or more attachmentsremovably coupled to the contiguous support section, each attachmenthaving a forward flange mated with the convex forward track and a rearflange mated with the convex rear track, the forward flange including athreaded hole engaging a thumbscrew, the thumbscrew of each attachmentselectively adjustable to secure that attachment at a fixed locationalong the head and at a fixed distance relative to other attachments. 2.The cleaning device of claim 1, where each attachment includesgrout-cleaning bristles.
 3. The cleaning device of claim 1, where eachattachment includes a grout-cleaning sponge.
 4. The cleaning device ofclaim 1, wherein the raised rib is common to the head and the flange.